Before we hit the road, lets do a quick walk-around of the new Mazda3 sedan. No longer sharing its underlying architecture with Ford, Mazda made a few styling changes right away. It follows the company’s KODO design language which also graces the larger Mazda6 sedan.
Notable up front is a distinctly longer distance between the front wheel and the cabin. This affords additional space inside for legroom and in the engine compartment for its SkyActiv engine. It also gives the car a longer and more planted stance.
The style is undoubtedly Mazda and thankfully loses the smiling Jack Nicholson joker face of the last Mazda3 model.
Under the hood is a 2.0 liter four-cylinder engine with direct injection and high compression. It’s mated to a six-speed automatic transmission is designed to save fuel. The entire power-train fulls under the marketing umbrella of what Mazda calls SkyActiv technology.
In our first driving segments through the Papago Park in Phoenix the handling of the Mazda3 is already showing itself to be pretty tight and sporting. The steering is precise and the chassis offers up a firm ride that transmits plenty of surface information to the driver.
So lets get to this mpg challenge and see if SkyActiv is really all they say it is. Before we headed out of Phoenix, the tank was topped off and the trip odometer zeroed out. Game on!
Once on the freeway we settled into a gas saving pace pretty close to the speed limit at all times. One of the first novelties we noticed was the 3D navigation map which flashes up convenient highway sign information to go along with the map itself.
Before long we were off the freeway and onto mountainous highways which are the key challenge to meeting our 41 mpg highway rating. With a little finessing the throttle up and down grades however we were surprised at our current average when we rolled into Wickenburg, AZ.
With the trip computer reading 44.8 mpg we slowed the pace and rolled through downtown Wickenburg, a touristy town in old west theme filled with shops, museums and cowboy flair. It’s also time to stop and check out the interior of the Mazda3.
The cabin of our Mazda3 Grand Touring features a well optioned package of materials and features. Signature is black leather seats with red accent stitching. The accent thread also weaves through the leather steering wheel too.
Piano black trims are found on the door panels and dash as well as the center console. With this trim grade, a large screen audio and navigation system is at the top of the dash, controlled by a console mounted puck and satellite buttons.
The system is at first confounding as it is very unusual to have radio controls on the console and not the dash. HVAC controls are thankfully located at center stage and remain simple to use. The automatic shifter of course offers a manual shift gate, but there are no paddle shifters here.
The rear seat is adequate for space in this class, offering fold down backs for increased storage area through the trunk. Overall, the materials and execution of the interior are well done and business-like in character.
Back on the road our trek gets more challenging as we get into more mountains. Uphill grades really cut into the gas mileage so we don’t push too hard. The good news is that what they take going up, they give back going down.
Our next stop is Wikieup, AZ…..yes Wikieup. We roll in to town here with a new mpg average of 45.1 and decide to take in some of the local flavor. Wikieup is essentially a tourist trap with a few gas stations, Indian gift shops and a fruit stand or two.
On the final stretch to Kingman we get onto Interstate 40 which exposes us to higher speed limits of 75 mph which at first starts cutting into the instant mpg average. But luckily we are looking at the total picture, not just 10 mile increments.
On the freeway the Mazda3 rides well and isn’t that bothered by cross winds. Noise levels are moderate and passing power from the 2.0 liter SkyActive engine is actually pretty impressive given its efficiency minded tune.
As we roll into Kingman anticipation is high to see what our final fuel economy number is according to the trip computer. After a few stop lights we pull into the fuel station and have a look at the read out on the instrument cluster. It says……..44.5 mpg.
Of course this isn’t the final answer. It’s well known that dash read-outs aren’t always accurate. After all they are simply the result of the computer’s calculations based on a number of factors. So the tank is topped off and the number of gallons we replaced divided into the total of 200 miles our trip has run.
In the end this math equation is the most accurate number to go by and we end up with 46.18 mpg, more than the trip computer even said.
All this fuel economy isn’t without a trade-off or two. The high compression direct injected engine can be a little course while driving around town under acceleration. Add this to the six-speed automatic transmission which lugs this engine a lot, all in the name of fuel economy.
These are minor things, but something you should measure yourself on your own test drive if you are looking at this car. Overall though, I think if fuel economy is your bag, the Mazda3 knocks it out of the park with a otherwise fun to drive character.
